Of Thunder and Frost
by InzanityFirez
Summary: After the events of The Avengers, Thor and Loki have returned to Asgard where Loki awaits judgment for his crimes. Thor stands between Loki and execution while new and old enemies threaten Asgard and the Nine Realms. When the brothers are cast into another world, they're forced to rely on each other to escape and save all worlds from destruction.
1. The Inevitable Beginning

**Alright. So I'm aching to write Thor and Loki and others and yada yada. This started out as just being part of my Avengers story, Ides of March. But the Asgardian parts were getting so large and in-depth already [and focusing so heavily on Thor/Loki's issues in great detail] that it seemed it should be it's own story. These will line up with my other story for a little bit, but then I'm going to branch this off completely and take a very different direction that doesn't likely involve the Avengers&Co but instead takes Thor and Loki through the Nine Realms [going into comic-verse and mythology alike]. This is a stand-alone story, so you don't need to read Ides of March, I'm just pointing it out. Despite the title there won't be any Thunderfrost in this story [although I do enjoy that too], unless a wellspring of demand for it pops up in the review section which I [sadly?] doubt. XD Enjoy! **

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The hall was silent, filled only with Thor and his most trusted allies, the Queen Frigga, and the All-Father himself. The more public exhibition had taken place days earlier when Thor had arrived with a bound Loki in tow. At present, Loki was under lock-down in prison chambers which had been firmly bespelled against his use of powers and although his muzzle had been removed, in all that time and despite Thor's attempts, Loki had not spoken a single word. And that was the most disconcerting of all, for never had Loki fallen so silent. That was not his way, and whether it was for sheer loathing and spite, or because something had been broken inside of him, or even some plot, Thor was not sure.

"There are many who call for Loki's death." Odin said solemnly. They had spoken lightly of their topic till that point, banter about his misdeeds and the consequences, but he knew it needed to be said. And while Frigga and the others could stand to remain silent to listen to Odin, Thor had little patience for the task.

"Then they call wrongly!" Thor exclaimed. "Loki's crimes are...severe. But he does not deserve to lose his life."

"How many Midgardians, so cherished of you, lost their lives because of Loki? All of whom likely did not deserve death either. Why then should Loki be spared?" There was no judgment in Odin's tone, he merely pointed out the fact.

Thor winced internally at those words, he could not deny them. But even so, he could not in any circumstance call for his brother's life to be taken. And no matter what that stubborn trickster said, Thor and Loki were and would always be brothers. "I grieve for them, and I believe that Loki must pay the price for what he's done. But not with his life! Would you sentence your own son to death?"

Odin sighed, and it was a heavy thing, full of the tiredness of centuries and all of the sorrow that came with it. "Were it within my power, none of this would have come to pass. Loki would be owed no punishment, and you would not stand before me looking as though I have betrayed you, my son. But this is not the case. Loki has committed terrible crimes, the extent of which we are still not fully aware." Odin knew that Loki had answered to a master and made a deal for his use of the Chitauri, but who the master was and what the full deal may have been, he was uncertain. But true enough, Loki had betrayed Asgard, slaughtered the Jotuun king [and though it saved Odin, the event was still of Loki's design to begin with], slaughtered many of Midgard and allied with monstrous beings, and attempted to murder his own brother. The crimes against him were varied and each alone could merit death as penance, but all crimes together...some would argue that even death would not be enough to atone. Furthermore, Loki refused to speak, even to name his co-conspirators and warn of the possibility of future threats. If he cared nothing for the sake of his family and Asgard, and even himself, then he was a dangerous liabilty, son or not. Odin looked to Frigga. "What say you, wife?"

Frigga's eyes matched Odin's sigh for sorrow as she gazed over those in the room before she regarded Odin. "As a mother, the mention of taking Loki's life could cease the beating of my heart. As a queen...I cannot deny that his crimes are...great. It would not be unfair to call for his life..."

"Mother!" Thor had been certain that she would be on his side, but his protest fell silent as she raised a hand and continued, much to Thor's relief.

"However...if a suitable penance could be given which kept his life intact...that would be in fairness also, I believe."

Odin considered his wife's counsel before he turned to Thor's companions, Sif and the Warriors Three. They would not have typically been part of such a discussion, but for their closeness to Thor and Loki, and all that had transpired. "And you all?"

Sif had always had reason enough to mistrust Loki, but she could never have said that she hated him or believed him capable of the crimes that he had committed. Part of her agreed that Loki could not be allowed to live, but the part loyal to herself and to Thor knew that such a thing as Loki's execution was vile and impossible. "Loki's life should be spared, if only for the argument that death would not correct his wrongs and he would be better served through alternative penance. For the many wrongs he has done, Loki has done well for the kingdom also." Thor and the warriors owed their life to Loki on several occasions, and he had fought by their side to defend Asgard. While Loki's loyalty was flighty, she believed that at his core, Asgard and it's people meant something to him.

Volstagg considered the question and her input before he nodded slowly. "True enough, death seems harsh for the lad. But if he isn't killed, what's a punishment that could match what he's done? Might be worse than death for him whatever that was."

Fandral and Hogun exchanged a glance before Fandral spoke. "I side with them in not taking Loki's life. But I also think that Volstagg's right. The punishment to avoid that punishment might be worse in the end."

"So you would have my brother die to spare him the pain?" Thor saw no logic in his reasoning.

"Take his freedom, his powers, his voice...isn't that equivalent? Take everything that matters to him, but leave him his life. That's equatable for what he's done. And then he will spend the rest of his withering life hating you all, and being dead in all but body." Hogun, generally rare of words, spoke grimly.

A moment of silence past in consideration of that before Thor spoke again as he looked back at Odin. "There must be something...We know Loki best, and are closest to all that's happened. He is no great evil, and not truly a traitor to Asgard. If he could but be made to remember-"

"-The content's of his heart do not overrule the gravity of his actions." Odin interrupted. "But I find this counsel not wrong either. Perhaps to let Loki live and learn from his errors would be the best course. And yet it remains: what punishment is equatable justice for the lives he has taken and betrayed? As Hogun says, the punishment may be worse for Loki-"

"-You will have him die dishonorably, executed and cast aside like a-"

"Thor-"

"Loki does not-"

"Enough!" Odin's voice rumbled in the hall. Thor fell silent at that as Odin regarded those in the room before he rose. "I will take ten days to decide this matter."

"Father-"

Odin held up a hand. "Ten days, Thor. The decision will be mine, and I expect you to uphold that decision, whatever it may be."

"His life-"

"_Thor_." Odin's voice brooked no further argument. "I will decide. Await my decision until then." With that, he turned to leave with Frigga at his side, a small attempt to dissuade Thor from further argument.

"He's your son." Thor reminded him stubbornly.

Odin paused before he inclined his head. "And I am the one who made him thus." Odin took his leave then, and Thor could not decide if Odin referred to making Loki the way he was, or to making him his son. He left, and Thor felt as if hope had left with him. If Odin was not firmly on their side then Loki would be doomed. Thor had to do something, anything, but what? Thor looked over and saw that Sif awaited to speak with him, but he shook his head. "Later." he murmured, and she understood, as did his men. They always understood. This was _Loki_ that they were talking about here.

Thor found his way to the prison chambers. They were accomodations fit for prisoners who were not so lowly as to be bound in the dungeons. Comfortable, but not luxurious, although Loki had been granted some measures of extra privacy and care than might be afforded another. The room kept him inside and his powers bound, mortal for all intents and purposes. But absent a means to look inside short of entering, it was Odin's knowledge and the fact that the food kept being eaten that reassured them that Loki was still inside. As previously stated, Loki had not spoken a word.

But that did not stop Thor from speaking to him.

"Brother..." Was it stubbornness or sheer hope that kept him addressing Loki as such? "Greetings." he tried. But after a long moment's silence, no answer came and he forged ahead and got straight to the point. "Father held counsel. He will wait ten days before he comes to a decision." But there was no need what decision was to be debated. "But whatever he decides...you will not have to worry, I will protect you."

Silence.

Thor sighed as he ran his fingers over the wooden door. He was torn between the desire to go to his brother's side, and to be firm with him as was needed. Thor had tried to reach Loki despite everything and he'd wound up with a blade in his gut for his troubles. Odin was right, Loki needed to be punished, but he could not allow it to take his brother's life from him, or to take Loki from Thor. "In such times your counsel would be most welcome, brother. But you cannot advise on your own punishment." Silence remained at those words and with a sigh, Thor pulled from the door. He was silent a moment, and he found himself hoping to hear even a stirring from inside, but there was not a sound. "Loki..." Thor felt the grainy wood beneath his fingers a moment more before he reluctantly pulled away. "Would that you could know how much your silence pains me." But he had no such method, and he was out of time. The day and what it required of him were not yet over. "I will return." he promised, before he took his leave.

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Loki lay upon his bed as he stared at his ceiling, uncertain of whether it was boredom or outrage that most disturbed him in the confines of his small prison. His powers had been robbed of him, his voice shamed, and he himself had lost everything. Loki's chance for greatness had been stripped from him, and he knew what would come next.

"_Brother...Greetings..._"

Loki groaned inwardly as he heard that oaf at his door. Again Thor had come to disturb his bitter rest with his unwelcome foolishness. His declarations of love and guilt that twisted Loki's heart.

"_Father held counsel. He will wait ten days before he comes to a decision._"

Ten days? How very generous of the old man.

"_But whatever he decides, you will not have to worry, I will protect you." _

Loki was no fool, he knew what implication lay in those words. Loki knew without a doubt that his life had been called for, how could it possibly have not been? And he knew what the All-Father would choose. Loki was the bastardized son of the Jotuun, adopted by Odin only to act as a pawn in later pursuits. His one satisfaction in death would be that he had thwarted Odin, since he had never lived to be truly useful to Odin, other than perhaps in keeping his fool-son alive. Loki would die no matter what protests Thor made, and in the end, Thor would continue on with his hopeless existence and forget that he had ever claimed a filthy frost-giant for a brother. He would forget the 'loyalty' and 'love' born of pity and a need for self-vindication and satisfaction. Thor would forget his precious shadow. And this was all if the 'master' that he had failed didn't get to him first.

"I_n such times your counsel would be most welcome, brother. But you cannot advise on your own punishment._"

Loki scoffed. Would be 'welcome'? With each word his would-be brother spoke, he seemed only more the fool.

"_Loki_..." Thor's voice had softened then, almost a plea somehow, and Loki frowned as he cast his gaze towards his side of the door. "_Would that you could know how much your silence pains me...I will return_."

_Don't bother._ Loki thought, and he ignored the faint clench in his chest at those words and at the sound of his brother's footsteps as he left Loki to his isolated prison. Pain he said. As if Thor knew anything of pain... No good would come of Thor's visits, neither to himself, nor to Loki. Even so, Thor's words replayed in his mind as always, every nuance of his voice and change in inflection. And then something occurred to him.

"_But you cannot advise on your own punishment_."

Loki's eyes widened as a sudden possibility found itself way to becoming an idea and realization in Loki's mind. The idea was far-fetched, only barely feasible if at all, but if it could work...then perhaps Loki would not need the satisfaction of thwarting Odin in death, perhaps he could do so in life.

_Sometimes even a fool may be a wise man_. Thor had given Loki quite an idea indeed.

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**Dun dun dun. Loki is plotting, that little villain. XD Reviews and verbal hugs make my world bright! Enjoy!~**


	2. The Balance of Moon and Sun

**Second chapter! I'm loving writing these two out. Thor's all brotherly and earnest and Loki's a manipulative...fellow. XD I've got big plans for where this is all going and hopefully they shall be greatly enjoyed and anticipated. Enjoy! ~ **

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_Asgard_.

A day had passed since the All-Father had declared that he would decide Loki's punishment in ten days hence. Thor had retired but his promise of 'later' had been met nearly upon his waking due to the concern of his warriors.

"Are you alright?" Sif's concern had been the softest compared to stoic Hogun, gruff Volstagg, and the ever-playful Fandral.

And what could Thor say to that? His brother's life hung in the balance and for what? Was Thor to blame for Loki's paranoia and insecurity, or Odin, perhaps? If Thor had paid attention a little more, praised his magic more rather than to tease about it, if he had only...if he had only done whatever was needed so that his brother would not despise him so much to desire his death. Loki had twice attempted to kill him outright, if he did not include when Loki hurled him from the flying device in that swirling prison, which would then make three. What had Thor done that could convince Loki that he held him low regard, that he did not love him and cherish him, that something like his having been adopted could change Thor's love for his brother? "I cannot say that I am." Thor finally muttered. "But I do not know how to make this right."

Sif's expression became saddened on Thor's behalf, and Volstagg sighed heavily before he spoke. "Maybe it is not your job to make it right, Thor."

Thor's eyes shot up at that. "Then whose would it be?" he demanded, a little offended that Volstagg would suggest such a thing. But Sif seemed to know where he was headed and picked up the slack.

"Your brother is a man, and he knew the consequences. You are brothers, I do not say otherwise, but you cannot hold his hand and shield him from all ills forever. Perhaps that is part of his anger towards you. It sounds odd to say that you loved him too much, but then again, Loki is one who loves to grow and change, and now he has become a man, bad or good. Yet, you treat him like the same mischevious boy who followed you around, who you coddled and teased in equal measure. He felt as if he stood in your shadow, and while you did not do that to lessen him-it was to protect him-but even so was Loki not always behind you, rather than beside you?"

Thor wanted to rally against those words, but he saw the sense that Sif made. Loki wanted to be his equal or his better, and while Thor had never set out to belittle Loki, could Loki have seen his attempts to protect him as a form of belittlement anyway? Did he think Thor felt him weak for the effort?

"My brother could frighten even me at times with his powers. Does he not know how much respect I hold for him?" Thor murmured, his anger abated to be replaced by the raw agony of a familiar and re-opened wound. His brother was within his reach, he could speak to him and embrace him and know that he was safe but...it did not matter. Loki could stand right before his eyes and still be beyond Thor's reach, and he had no idea where that gap began or how he might end it.

"He always was quick to judge." Volstagg noted. "Once he got the idea you thought he was a weakling, bet it just kind of...took hold."

"And now madness has set in as well. Loki cannot see the truth for all his rage and lies." Fandral added.

Thor sighed. "And how do I convince him otherwise, when he is so stubbornly determined not to be convinced?"

Finally the taciturn Hogun spoke. "Make him remember why _you_ also are to be respected and feared."

Sif's brow furrowed, and Thor wore a similar expression of confusion. "You wish me to threaten my brother?"

Hogun shook his head. "If your love is driving Loki to distraction, so much that he sees you only as a sentimental fool...then you must remind him that you are much more. Treat Loki as a man and not a child, and then he may better know the man you also have become."

Silence descended in the room for a moment as Hogun's thought settled in. He made it sound so easy, but Thor knew better. Any trick or tactic that Thor might attempt, Loki would already be suspicious of and determined to counteract. But even so, having already tried so many times to plead and reason, to be heartfelt and stern, would it really hurt to attempt this? But to what extent was that to mean? Should Thor treat his brother as a stranger, or a friend? Or could he be a brother without being _such_ a brother...

What could he do?

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Loki had just finished wrapping his newly cut hand when he heard a knock at the door. He knew by the lumbering footsteps who it was, and who else would it be? But this time Thor's presence did not inspire disdain, Thor's presence was necessary to his current plans.

"Loki...I must speak with you."

Loki lifted a brow, the blunt declaration had caught him slightly by surprise and he wondered just what it was that the other felt the need to say that he hadn't already blubbered over the course of the past few days. But he did not say a word, for when he broke his silence, it would be with purpose.

Thor received no answer for his attempt and he debated what to do. He was not one to deal in ruses, he was honest and open, and had no head or desire for deceit. But all his honesty had gotten him with Loki was a resounding _nothing_ and a brother who seemed to despise him. "Can you hate me so much that you will not even speak with me, brother?"

_You speak of silence as an indication of hatred when I've tried to __**kill**__ you? Oh, Thor, you are a hopeless fool._ Loki rolled his eyes towards the sky and steeled himself to have patience for the task ahead. But still, he remained silent.

Thor closed his eyes a moment as he forced himself to clear his mind of present distraction and think. What must he do? What could he do? Eloquence was not his strong suit, he could not piece together pretty words and flowery sentiments, he bore his love openly. But he would try. "More than any man I know, you are brilliant, Loki...I know of no other with your mind and wit, and who weaves magic as you do, and you are as courageous as the greatest of warriors...but still you are a fool..."

Loki stiffened at once and an outraged response very nearly spilled forth from his lips. But he steeled himself again and forced himself to hold his tongue. He could not ruin his plan for the sake of that small insult. What pathetic irony, Thor dared call _him_ a fool?

"You find faults and slights against you where none exist. You imagine shadows where there is only light. You twist all words and love to appease your fears and doubts. You imagine that we are your enemies, but it is only because you would make us so. As for me, and our Father and Mother, our friends...we miss you." How else could he say it? The lack of Loki, of his bright, wicked ways, of his merry delight and his cunning tricks, the lack of his brother...it was agonizing. And Thor was not alone in feeling that agony, so even if it went again Hogun's advice, and was perhaps just 'foolishness', he had to try.

Loki bit his tongue as he stared at the door, the urge to lash out mingled with a clenching of his traitorous heart. Loki Liesmith they called him, ha! Here stood Thor, an actor without equal who spouted dribble about love and loyalty with his mouth while offering betrayal with his hands. Thor did not love Loki, they were not even brothers. As with Odin, Thor wanted Loki around for what potential he held. Although in Thor's case, it was a simple want, for Thor had not the presence of mind to be crafty in his manipulations. As for their 'friends', they were _Thor's _friends. And Frigga...Frigga was different altogether, although it changed nothing. But still, he kept silent.

Thor waited with his ear nearly against the door, but no sound came. His shoulders slumped a bit as he trailed a hand along the door. "Loki...You say that you remember a shadow. You have laid blame for that upon me. But just as you do not, as anyone cannot, I cannot control my own shadow. Should I have never had light, just so that you would never perceive of my shadow?"

Loki was more than a little taken aback. Thor had actually spoken with insight with...a decidedly clever metaphor. And what sickened him the most about the other's sudden ability to speak with something other than blunt, useless sentiment was that the other's words were not untrue. He could not ask that Thor have nothing and be kept in darkness, naturally he would have light and of course he would cast a shadow for it. Thor was a prince of Asgard, the future king, he was strong and courageous, he was bright and fierce, he was brilliant like the sun and so _of course_ Thor would cast a shadow. To deny him that would be to deny Thor more than everything, it would deny Thor himself.

But that was just it: Loki _wanted_ to deny him. Thor's light which was capable of casting such great shadows, shadows which swallowed Loki, he despised it. He could not bear Thor's simpering smile and foolish ways, his fretful, loving heart, the arrogance. The time when Thor's brilliance captivated and warmed him had long since past and now it merely burned, it singed Loki's very essence. For if Thor was the sun, then Loki was the moon, and if Thor was light, then Loki was dark, and if Thor was warm...then naturally, and how fitting for a Jotun, he was utterly cold. Thor could not warm him, only burn him, only destroy him, and so Loki despised him and his power and unwieldy brilliance.

Thor waited but still no answer came and his heart grew the heavier for it. Odin had forbidden any one to enter Loki's chambers, and they were barred against most magic and entry. But Thor was a prince of Asgard, and the spell sealed in Odin's blood would not push away the son who carried that blood. Thor was tired of waiting, impatient of silence, and he had taken Hogun's words [so rarely given and so often wise when they were] to heart. Loki would be made to see reason, or else have it shoved down his stubborn throat.

Thor steeled himself and then with a firm hand, called upon his strength to twist the doorknob and break the physical lock before he stepped past the barrier to gain entrance.

Loki had waited in his silent thoughts for Thor's appeals to continue, or else for him to leave, but when neither action came his eyes narrowed upon the door. Had Thor used all of his limited brain power in that one response? Perhaps he was tongue-tied now, a saddened puppy who felt as though he'd been kicked, and was that not a fitting image for his would-be brother? Loki smirked at the thought right up until he heard the grinding of broken metal and he saw the door start to open, his eyes widened in sudden alarm because this, _this_ was not a part of his plans. This would ruin _everything_. "Thor, do not come in!" he snapped, and it was the first use of his voice he'd made since the moment that the muzzle had been placed on. The pleasure of the familiar sensation was dimmed as he quickly backed into the darkest corner of the dim room, and watched with an angry glare as the door creaked open to reveal his lumbering, hulk of a forced relation. "Leave, _now_." he hissed.

Thor's first impression of Loki's prison was that it seemed immediately colder than what lay just beyond the door, also that it was dark, barely light enough to see but for a waning candle in the corner. There were no windows to grant light, and he peered into the darkness as he finally heard [with relief] the voice of his brother. But Loki seemed...almost...panicked? Did he think that Thor meant to cause him harm? "Brother..." Thor's voice was soft. "I have not come to cause you pain, I merely-"

"_Leave at once_!"

Loki's tense voice startled Thor and his brow furrowed in confusion as he disobeyed and came closer. The trouble that he might be in were he caught inside the room seemed less and less important by the moment, something was clearly wrong with Loki. Thor squinted in the dim light before he went to the corner where the candle was and used it to light the lantern which extended to the overhead light. The fire started at once and trickled upwards where it illuminated the room and revealed the source of Loki's fear, or rather, a sight which all Asgardians were taught to fear and revile.

A Jotun.

Thor's eyes widened as he tensed on instinct and clenched his hand into a fist, he nearly willed Mjolnir to his side before his mind caught up to what his eyes had witnessed and the familiarity of the form despite the changes. The red eyes that glared at him with apprehension and mistrust, the blue form that was so slender and lithe and robed in princely, green attire. "_Loki_..." The name came out in a breath.

Loki had recoiled as soon as the lights came on, and he stiffened reflexively as Thor seemed to become battle-ready. But it was the use of his name that made his breath hitch and his glaring eyes narrow. A long moment of silence passed between them before Loki's tight lips curled into a sneer and the apparent fear dissolved into condescension. "That is right. I am Loki. Son of Laufey. And now finally you see my true form, son of Odin. Odin's wards on this room have undone even the magic he used to hide my Jotun heritage. Proof that we are not now, and never were brothers." he spat out the words, and then his sneer became a cruel smirk that didn't quite reach his newly red eyes. "I am only your enemy, and will only ever be so." His plan was ruined, so there was no point in catering to Thor, he would not be humiliated in this at least. Loki waited for Thor's disgust, for his discomfort, for some wane denial out of habit before he excused himself and never darkened Loki's doorway again. What he did not expect was the sudden look of sadness in Thor's expression, as if he could see right through Loki and his grim expecations. "Do not look at me with pity, Odinson." he snapped.

Thor was silent still, and it seemed his turn to return that original favor and the usually patient, calculating Loki found that it grated on him. He had not expected acceptance, but he had expected _something_. "What? Have you nothing to say? Perhaps you are silent with fear?" he taunted. "Go ahead, Thor. Call me your brother now." And he would never, _never_ admit the existence of bitterness in his tone. For that would imply that he cared, and certainly he did not.

"I do not look at you with pity, brother." Thor finally spoke, his voice soft, and Loki stared at him in surprise. "But I have been blind."

Loki's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of Thor's odd statement, but before he could comment, Thor had taken a few steps forward. Loki stepped back on instinct until he felt his back against the wall and could go no further. "Stay away from me, Thor." he warned.

"Silent with fear..." Thor murmured, almost as if thinking aloud and he continued towards Loki as if he hadn't heard him. "You say this, having been silent all of this time." his last steps brought him right before Loki as he looked down at the other with a light frown. "Were you afraid, brother?"

Loki tensed, backed figuratively and literally into a corner, and he began devising up any number of plans to incapacitate Thor in case he tried to harm him. He did not trust whatever scheme of Thor's this was. "I fear nothing but your stupidity, Odinson." he snapped back.

Thor eyed his brother a moment before he shrugged, yet another gesture that confused Loki. He had expected Thor's rejection, but even on the off chance that Thor remained a loyal, irksome puppy, Thor's current behavior was still...uncharacteristic, in his opinion. "And what do you think I fear, Loki?"

Loki scoffed. "Let me see...that your vapid admirers might see you for the selfish, foolish brute you truly are?" he mocked.

Thor looked as though he might speak but seemed to think the better of it as he looked away, his thoughts on another time and place before he turned his eyes back towards his brother. "I do not fear you in this form, Loki. Nor do I see you as anything other than my brother. You are not my brother because you are Jotun, or Aesir, you are my brother because you are Loki."

The sentiment was childish and simple, and far more like what he was accustomed to from Thor. So why did the words make him feel as though he had been punched in the gut? "It is because I am Loki that I am _not_." he countered. And then he drew himself up to cross the slight distance between them as he put mere inches between himself and Thor and glared up at the other. "You see what I am. Drop this farce that we are related. Perhaps you will be less miserable for it."

"Why must you constantly test me, Loki? How many times must I prove myself before you see?" And then Thor lifted his hand and Loki stiffened but remained firm with the expectation that Thor would strike him. But instead, he found Thor's warm hand on his cheek and he stared at the other with surprise. "You are cold." Thor noted as fingers trailed along blue skin before his hand lowered to grab Loki's and grasp it tightly. "But it changes nothing, you are still Loki, and still my brother."

Loki could feel a rising frustration in him. Thor was not _supposed_ to be unpredictable. He was not _supposed_ to accept so easily what any other would have denied. He was not _supposed_ to call an 'unworthy' Jotun his 'brother'. Surely Thor could not bear to be seen in his company, were they not alone, Thor would scorn him openly. But what did he gain by continuing the farce in private? What did he seek to gain from winning Loki over? Except perhaps to betray him, to lead him on and then turn his back as he always did. How many times had Loki trailed behind Thor, lost in his shadow, only to have Thor step aside and bare Loki in his light to be mocked and used? Loki with his unmanly magic and his weak form, Loki with his reserved demeanor unlike his arrogant braggart of a brother, Loki the younger who would not be king. "I am not your brother!" he started to slap Thor's hand away, only to fall short when he realized something. Since the moment Thor had grasped his hand, the blue tint to his skin had begun to recede and by the time he'd moved, his skin had returned to it's warm, pale color and he had a feeling that the green had been restored to his eyes. Suspicion filled him instantly, along with a sudden rise of panic that perhaps somehow Thor had even taken his precious domain-his magic-from him. "What have you done?" he demanded as he snatched away his hand, but still the Jotun visage did not return.

Thor seemed equally surprised as he shook his head. "It was not me, brother."

"Do not take me for the fool you are, Thor. You placed your hand on mine and my glamour was restored. What did you do?"

"I did nothing, Loki, not for meaning to." Thor said honestly, but he was relieved all the same to see his brother's familiar form.

Loki stared hard at Thor but could find no deceit or guile, he seemed honestly surprised and Loki did not miss his relief either. The sneer returned as he stepped aside and around Thor to move to his bed where he leaned against the bedpost with his arms crossed. Thor had known Loki was Jotun, but he had never _seen_ the proof of it, and now he had and he had acted as though it changed nothing even though it changed everything. But still, if Thor wished to play that hand, then perhaps Loki's previous hand need not be cast back into the deck just yet. He could still turn this to his favor. Loki summoned up his considerable acting ability as he averted his eyes. "I saw your eyes, Thor, do not lie to me. You were disgusted with what you saw, and how could you not be? I am the very thing which we were taught to despise. I am the monster which Asgardians tell their children to fear. I am the boogeyman."

Thor was not sure what this 'boo-gee-man' was, but he could tell that it was not complimentary. What he did see was that Loki's feelings seemed to have been hurt by what he believed he saw in Thor, and it was the first glimpse of emotions he'd seen since Loki had stabbed him on Stark Tower. He did not realize, although some part of him suspected, that Loki was being false. Because especially where Loki was concerned, Thor could not help but believe the best, could not help but _want_ the best. Thor stepped towards his brother. "I could never be disgusted by you. Angry, and annoyed, and wanting to throttle you, perhaps. But never disgusted. Never would I fear you or turn from you."

"You say that now." Loki said, and he injected bitterness into his tone. "But later, what then? When you are king, will you keep me by your side? As a pet perhaps-"

"Loki!" Thor's voice was sharp. "Never speak of such a thing again. I would never see you thus."

Loki shrugged. "So you say." He went in for the kill. "But then," he turned his body slightly sideways as he gazed down at the ground in a more vulnerable position. "Odin will have me executed before long and it will no longer matter. You will be spared the embarrassing prospect."

Thor's eyes widened. "I would never allow-"

"-You have no choice. The decision belongs to Odin, was that not what you told me? He is a king before a father, and I am not even his son. I know what he will choose."

"No! He will find another method, another punishment-"

"-He has not the time nor the means to consider another. What does Odin know of such things? He is a king and a warrior of Asgard, he knows only law and swift 'justice'. Death will reign here, as it always has."

"I do not accept that!" It was Thor's turn to snap back.

Loki's sudden smile was mirthless. "And yet, so it will be. Even you cannot always have your way, selfish Thor."

Thor gritted his teeth before he closed the distance between them. "There must be something. You must have an idea. I will...I will present it to Father, I will make him see another way. Do not tell me you have not thought of one, I know you better than that, brother."

"Oh, do you know me so well? And you would plead my case before Odin?"

"I already have, and will again, and as many times as needed to save you."

Loki fell silent a moment before he said quietly, laying it on thick but knowing that Thor would eat up every word. "I did not ask to be saved."

Thor's hand found purchase on Loki's shoulder as he squeezed it firmly. "You did not have to, brother."

Loki pretended to consider those words, to seem hesitant as he returned his gaze to Thor's. "It will change nothing between us, even if you do such a thing for me. We will never be as we were." Loki saw Thor hide a wince but his brother gave a sad nod anyway.

"Your life does not come with a price. I will do this for you still."

Loki feigned resignation as he sighed slowly and then said softly. "Banishment. To Midgard."

"_What_?"

Loki was even mildly surprised by Thor's growled response, and he did his best to look innocent and vaguely annoyed as he regarded the other. "Was the punishment suitable for you not suitable for myself?"

"Our situations are entirely different. What could you possibly-"

"Ah, that's right. Because you are a golden prince of Asgard, and I am nothing but a Jotun." Loki drawled.

"That is not what I meant, and you well know it!" Thor snapped back as he closed a fist around a handful of Loki's collar. "Do not twist my words. What crimes you have committed exceed my foolishness and arrogance."

"Then what do you suggest? Banishment to Jotunheim, perhaps? Where I may be torn apart my true kin?" Loki did not consider them his kin, but he knew his words would sting Thor and he was pleased when the other's expression became pained.

"I would not see you banished at all." Thor muttered.

"Then you will see me dead." Loki replied bluntly. "Even if Odin were inclined to keep me imprisoned here for centuries, I would see myself dead before suffering that. But no, he will not. He will make a firm punishment. Death or banishment, death to avenge what I have done and end further destruction at my hands...or banishment, to punish me and cut me off from my magic, to teach me, to 'rehabilitate' me. Those are the logical choices, but Odin will not choose the latter. He will see me dead at his hands before letting the Jotuns have at me, he will think it a mercy and rightly so. My death at Odin's hands would be, if nothing else, quick. Vanaheim will not hold me, nor any realm keep me. But Midgard is a place where I might learn and survive, and whose people do not know of me."

"But they do, Loki. Too well." Thor could see Loki's logic despite himself, so far as death and banishment in general, but to hide on Midgard after what he had just done and when the Midgardians had so many strange devices to record his misdeeds...what could Loki be thinking? Furthermore, Thor knew that Loki had no interest in learning to be better, he would plot and revenge, he would scheme and seethe, so there was surely some deeper goal to being banished to a planet of what he considered to be 'lesser beings'.

"But not as you do, and others. The God of Mischief is merely a legend to them, my deeds not history, but myth. And they would be easily fooled if I came in another form."

At that, Thor stiffened. "You mean to be banished in a disguise?" Thor considered briefly what form Loki might take and frowned. "Not a woman again, surely-"

Loki's sudden scowl of annoyance at the reminder might have made the pair [or Thor at least] laugh once, but now it just made Thor want to cringe. He felt as if Loki's opinion of him could not possibly be any lower. "I need merely take another face, with which they are unfamiliar. It will be a pain, but manageable. And while I am banished, you could convince Odin to send you as my jailer. You could see your precious 'Jane' again."

The mention of Jane made Thor wistful but he did his best not to let Loki read that on his face. But as Thor knew Loki, so did Loki know Thor, and the God of Mischief smirked. "Your friends would also welcome you back. This arrangement would be to your favor as well as mine."

Thor regarded his brother with a frown as he tried to reason and puzzle through the possibilities. "To be banished to a realm you hate, lacking the magic you hold so dear, and wearing a face not your own. What do you hope to gain, Loki?"

Damn Thor and his sudden need to play at having a brain, why could he not quietly accept what Loki said? Why could he not be selfish and stupid and think only with his lower brain, had Loki not gone to the trouble of mentioning his human whore by name? "My life, what else? If I remain on Asgard, I am dead. If I go to Jotunheim, I am dead. In any other realm, I would be looked on as stranger and enemy, and be hard-pressed to survive. Only Midgard is so young and unsteady that I could have some semblance of a life."

"And when your banishment is over?"

"By then, you will likely be king, and the decision will fall on your shoulders, Thor."

"I would see you home." Thor said without hesitation, and there was a yearning in his tone.

Loki very nearly let a faint smile, a wistful of fonder, less hate-filled days creep upon his lips. Thor was too much like a child, it was unbearable, really. But in the end he simply shrugged. "When the time comes, we shall see. But until then, this is my 'plan', as you call it. Will you help me?" he knew that to beseech Thor openly would tug the Thunder-god's heartstrings as little else would.

Thor knew that he was being led into a trap, lied to and deceived in some way, but so long as Loki's powers were bound and he was trapped on Earth with Thor beside him...surely he could not cause very much trouble...and if it saved his life, was it not worth some risk? Thor was not naive as he was before, he no longer believed that Loki was beyond all reproach. He would likely always forgive Loki, but never would he forget, not any more. Thor sighed. "I will help you, brother. Always, I will help you."

Loki's smile was a terrible one, slow and cruel, and it made his green eyes seem all the more sharp and calculating. "You may live to regret this, you know that, do you not, Thor?"

Thor's heart, lifted somewhat by the relieved burden of how to help Loki was made heavy by worry about what he was about to do. "I would regret it more if you were not alive for me to do so."

Loki eyed him before he chuckled lightly and rose. This was not exactly how he had planned things to go, and Thor was not so gullible as he had once been. In fact, Loki was certain that Thor now knew something was amiss, but his 'loyalty' and 'love' for Loki kept him unable to do anything but what Loki desired. As Thor headed for the door and prepared to leave, he paused long enough to glance back at Loki.

"I think Father made at least one mistake in how he raised us."

"Oh?" Loki did not truly care for Thor's opinions, but he was mildly curious about what the dolt was thinking in that regard. He prepared to be amused.

"He should have told us sooner-together-of your heritage. Then I would have been able to reassure you sooner that it does not change my love for you, and you would not have had to find out such a thing alone. Perhaps if he had, things would be different now."

Loki stared at Thor for a long moment as he let those words sink in and actually considered them, as he actually pondered what might have changed if they had found out before things had fallen apart. Perhaps the event would have strengthened their bond, rather than further frayed it. But it did not matter, the past was as it was. Loki had found out alone, and already Loki did not place faith or trust in Thor's supposed love other than for how easily manipulated it made Thor. "No, in the end the result would have been the same. Because you are Thor and I am Loki. And it would always have come to this."

"You are wrong."

"You are wrong to think so."

Thor looked at his brother a moment more before he stepped out and jammed the lock back into place behind him. The heavy, exiting footsteps of his would-be brother faded and it was not until then that Loki allowed himself to extinguish the lights and to collapse back on to his bed. The cut on his hand had gone unnoticed by Thor, for the hand he had grabbed had been the one unharmed. But even bound as he was, his blood still had power, blood of the Jotun seeped in the magic of Asgard for centuries. And even as he was, there were still manipulations and deals to be made, still those who would-for their own reasons-rally to his cause. None were trusted, but any one could be of use in Loki's careful hands. Loki thought again of Thor, sad and earnest, clearly not trusting Loki's motives and intent but still carrying out his whims. Thor, who had touched his Jotun form and returned the glamour of the Aesier, a feat which still puzzled him. Thor, the fool, who sought to reclaim their childhood even as Loki did his best to fight against it. Thor, who Loki had loved and hated in equal measure.

"It would have always come to this." Loki whispered into the darkness, and he cursed the echo of uncertainty in his own voice.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

**That was crazy-long-ish and involved and precisely why I felt this had to be it's own story. And no, not to throw out spoilers, but they aren't going to Midgard in this story. Loki's going to have his plans firmly smashed into his face. And Thor is going to be Badarse!Thor eventually. And there may be a Dark!Thor coming to play eventually -cough- XD Reviews make my day/night, and inspire me, and verbal hugs bring joy to my world. XD Enjoy! Witchy~**


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